Travelling with the simplest of sets and working to taped scores, the Perm State Ballet of Russia still manages to create effects of stunning loveliness in its presentation of Swan Lake at the Opera House. The exhibition status of a piece such as this could mean a lessening of conviction in performances which, for a brief run with a large cast, must remain relatively anonymous, yet the approach is whole-hearted and ready to respond generously to a delighted audience. The costumes, too, are unstinted, especially in the regional references for the Act II divertissements.
All the charm of Tchaikovsky's music is personified in a corps de ballet of impressive precision and in the acting, as well as in the dancing of prima ballerina Elena Kulagina as Odette/Odile and Roman Geer as Prince Siegfried. The tenderness of their Act I pas de deux establishes the poignant theme (this version has a happy ending, by the way) with the ideal marrying of technical virtuosity and romantic sympathy; later displays of skill only add to the narrative power of the work and endorse the Russian tradition of supremacy within the classical tradition.
Oleg Posokhin's Jester is a reminder that, as a story, Swan Lake has its problems, but none of these surfaces for a second as brilliance and beauty combine in a flawless production directed with some pace by Kirill Shmorgoner.
Tour continues to Dublin's Olympia Theatre tomorrow at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. (booking: 01-6777744) and the Town Hall Theatre, Galway, on Monday & Tuesday at 8 p.m. (booking: 091-569777).